Oscar Heck: Every time you munch on a Chiquita banana ...you're financing terrorists in Colombia!

VHeadline commentarist Oscar Heck writes: Several articles have suddenly appeared stating that Venezuela should be designated as a state that sponsors terrorists. One article published by UPI is entitled, “Bush looks into Venezuela terror listing” and another is entitled, “Humberto Fontova: Venezuela should be classified as state sponsor of terrorism.”

These articles state things like “A government official said the White House asked attorneys to look into requirements for placing Venezuela on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The inquiry follows allegations that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's ties with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas ran deeper than originally thought, The Miami Herald reported Monday. The legal review follows Colombia's seizing four computers belonging to a FARC guerrilla leader in a March 1 raid. In them, it was hinted that the Venezuelan government was in the process of providing $300 million in assistance FARC, which officials in the United States and Colombia call a "narco-terrorist" group but Chavez considers a legitimate insurgency.”

Now … about the $300 million … the truth lies here in this article entitled “$300 MILLION FROM CHAVEZ TO FARC A FAKE.”

Greg Palast is one of the most believable journalists on the face of this earth … and there is no reason to doubt him. As we, he has been continuously sabotaged for telling the truth. Furthermore, he has been to Venezuela, unlike most western journalists. The $300,000,000 is a fraud invented by the US and Colombian governments in preparation for an invasion.

Chad Groening, writes “Author and Latin American expert Humberto Fontova says Venezuela should be classified as a state sponsor of terrorism in light of the evidence that President Hugo Chavez is helping fund narco-terrorists in neighboring Colombia.”

There is no evidence … instead think about bananas (see below).

“Fontova says the "rebel" was a major drug kingpin, who had some valuable information on a computer that was captured by the Colombians. "This computer ... had all of the messages confirming that Hugo Chavez was in fact financing them -- to the tunes of millions of dollars," he exclaims.”

Again, I repeat, there is no evidence … think about nice, yellow, cloned bananas.

Now, why is it that Chad calls Fontova a Latin American expert? Expert on what? Note that Chad says “Latin American” expert and not “Latin America” expert. And who is this Fontova guy anyway?

He is a Cuban who grew up in the USA … and is the anti-Cuba author of, “Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant” and “Exposing the real Che Guevara and the useful idiots who idolize him.”

Now, I have a question … supposing that Chad meant that Humberto is an expert on Latin America, how can someone be called a Latin America expert if he is biased?

For example, I am biased to Chavez, thus I will not allow myself to be called an expert on Chavez ... that would be preposterous and dishonest, wouldn’t it? I would not even say that I am an expert regarding Venezuela, even if I knew everything there is to know about Venezuela … because I have that bias.

Now, Humberto is obviously biased … it is as if an atheist would be labeled and expert about God. Would you believe that expert?

I have to also wonder if Humberto-the-expert has ever been to Venezuela, if he has ever met Chavez, if he has spent months or years in Venezuela. I also have to wonder why he says that there is evidence that Chavez is financing the FARC when there isn’t any. Where does he get his information from? From the news? If so, then that certainly doesn’t make him an expert … for then anyone could call themselves an expert by just reading the news and repeating it without investigation and without providing verifiable information … which is precisely what Humberto does.

Now … for the juicy part … Humberto and Bush and others clearly evade some very important and pertinent information regarding the financing of so-called terrorist groups in Colombia.

In Colombia there are two other groups which have been designated as “terrorists” by the US government … the AUC and the ELN.

Let me tell you about bananas now … more specifically about Chiquita Bananas. According to Wikipedia: “In March 2007 the international fruit corporation, Chiquita, admitted to having paid the AUC from 1997 to 2004 $1.7 million in order to protect its workers and operations, in Urabá and Santa Marta, of which at least $825,000 came after the AUC was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department in 2001. These payments were often made through a group belonging to the Convivir network, a government-sponsored program of rural security cooperatives.[5] The payments were arranged during a 1997 meeting between Carlos Castaño with officials from Banadex, a subsidiary of Chiquita.[6] Chiquita subsequently made a plea bargain with the US justice, and agreed to pay a $25 million fine.[7] Colombia's attorney general, Mario Iguarán, also opened a case on Chiquita. He stated that he will request the extradition of eight Chiquita officials connected to the case.[6] He has also charged Chiquita of using one of their ship to smuggle weapons (some 3,400 AK-47 rifles and 4 million rounds of ammunition) for the AUC.[6] These charges were first brought ahead in a 2003 report from the Organization of American States (OEA).[6]”

Wow! Isn’t that dandy?

Who would have thought that a US-based corporation was financing terrorists and smuggling guns for them?

Imagine, every time you munch on Chiquita bananas ... you're financing terrorists in Colombia!

Isn’t that like aiding and abetting terrorists?

The fact is that there is plenty of real and verifiable evidence of Chiquita Banana financing Colombian terrorists, unlike the fabricated “evidence” being now used against Chavez. Chiquita Banana admitted that they actually financed terrorists. And, unlike the FARC and the ELN, the AUC are real terrorists (again from Wiki): “According to the Colombian National Police, in the first ten months of 2000 the AUC conducted:

· 804 assassinations,
· 203 kidnappings, and
· 75 massacres with 507 victims.

So, Humberto … how come you forgot to mention this thing about Chiquita Banana?

You are supposed to be the expert here. Might it be because you hate Chavez?

Humberto, who do you idolize… ?

Oscar Heck
oscarheck111@yahoo.com